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Sunday, March 11, 2012

Sociologist and writer Pınar Selek's Kafkaesque trial

Prosecutor Reiterated Final Speech from 7 Year ago

"The new prosecutor of the trial related to the Spice
Bazaar blast in Istanbul in the late 1990s reiterated the claim for an
aggravated life sentence for Pınar Selek. Her father Alp Selek told
bianet that the prosecutor repeated the final speech given seven years
earlier.

The trial related to the blast at the Spice Bazaar in Istanbul in 1998 has been pending for 14 years. Sociologist and writer Pınar Selek
was acquitted three times in the scope of the case that was continued
on Wednesday (7 March) before the Beşiktaş Special Authority High
Criminal Court.
The hearing was attended by Selek's father and joint attorney Ali Selek, her sister Seyda, members of the Platform 'We are still witnesses', friends of Selek, and some journalists and writers.
None of the defendants appeared at court.
Despite the decision for acquittal given on 9 February 2011, Prosecutor Mehmet Ali Uysal reiterated the plea made seven years earlier and demanded an aggravated life sentence for Pınar Selek.
Lawyer Alp Selek told bianet, "He does not know the file very well.
The court gave a decision of insistence. It is not right to read the
same plea as done seven years ago again now. Therefore, the repetition
of the final plea and the demand for an aggravated life sentence are
entirely void. Many parts of the file have changed in the meantime".
The previous session on 7 March was the first hearing with Prosecutor Mehmet Ali Uysal
who previously worked at the Samandağ Public Prosecution, the justice
inspectorate and the Şişli Public Prosecution. He replaced prosecutor Nuri Ahmet Saraç who was displaced from the case and appointed as investigation prosecutor."